Spray nozzle



D. R. PRESSON June 2, 1970 SPRAY NOZ ZLE Filed Aug. 21, 1967 $52 INVEN TOR I .4 YTORNEY DONALD R. PRESSON United States Patent Office 3,515,354 Patented June 2, 1970 US. Cl. 239-416.5 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Essentially, this invention is an improved spray nozzle for applying wall texturing materials to wall structures. The wall texturing material is supplied to the nozzle in a slurry through a supply port and is brought into proximity with compressed air delivered to the nozzle through a bored stem adjacent the nozzle exit. The outlet of the stem is disposed in spaced relationship with the output orifice of the nozzle and the pattern delivered by the nozzle can be varied by changing this spacing. In this improved nozzle, the stem to orifice spacing is manually variable while the nozzle is in operation, thus providing for pattern adjustment without shutting off the spray. Also, the output orifice of the nozzle can itself be changed to allow an even wider range of pattern plus greater adaptability to different types of wall texturing material and slurries of differing consistencies; however, this later change cannot be made during operation of the nozzle.

SPECIFICATIONS This invention relates generally to spray nozzles and more particularly to nozzles for delivering wall texturing materials to wall surfaces by air pressure spray.

In recent years, the construction industry has developed new techniques for finishing the walls of building structures. Particularly, techniques have been developed for forming the interior walls of buildings with sheets of fiberboard or similar material and then surfacing these sheets with a finishing material to give texture resembling plaster. As a result of these techniques, new equipment has been developed for applying the texturing material to the wallboard, and different materials have been developed for forming different textures.

The most common technique presently in use is to blow on a slurry of putty like texturing material by means of air pressure and permit it to dry on the wall surface. For purposes of application, the slurry of wall texturing material is pumped to the nozzle which is also fed with compressed air. The wall texturing material and the air then mix in the nozzle and exit in the form of a spray. In the use of such techniques, the type materials being applied, the consistency of the slurry, and the air pressure all contribute to the pattern of spray delivered by the nozzle, and in turn to the actual texture formed. The other contributing factors are the size and configuration of the nozzle orifice and the space relationship between the air stem outlet and the nozzle orifice.

Once the type of texturing materials has been chosen, and the consistency of the slurry and air pressure established, the only effective means of varying the spray pattern is to change the noule orifice or vary the space between the air stem outlet and the orifice. Nozzles heretofore known have been so constructed that adjustments in the spray patterns could not be effectively made while the equipment was operating. As will be appreciated, this required frequent shut downs during trial and error experimentation by the operator to determine the desired spray pattern, which was both inconvenient and time consuming. Furthermore, the nozzles formerly used did not permit sufficient variations to accommodate the great variety of materials and textures which are now available in the industry.

A need, therefore, exists for a nozzle for the application of wall texturing material which can be adjusted to accommodate a great variety of materials and textures and in which minor adjustments to the spray pattern can be made while the spraying operation is taking place.

It is, therefore, a major object of my invention to provide a nozzle for wall texture spraying in which minor adjustments to the spray pattern may be made during the spraying operation.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a nozzle of the type described in which major changes in the spray pattern can be made prior to commencing the spraying operation.

It is another Object of my invention to provide a nozzle of the type described in which major changes in the spray pattern are made by substitution into the nozzle of orifices of different sizes and contours.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a nozzle of the type described in which minor adjustments to the spray pattern may be made by simply threading a knurled ring on a threaded shaft at the base of the nozzle.

It is yet another object of my invention to provide a nozzle of the type described which is simple to construct, easy to operate, and extremely durable.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become more readily apparent from reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention, in cross section;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of my invention taken on line 44 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of my invention taken on lines 5-5 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the numeral 10 designates generally my improved spray nozzle. The nozzle has a housing 11 with an input port 12 and an output port 13. The nozzle 11 also has an axial bore 14 which is enlarged adjacent the output port 13 to form a supply chamber 15.

An air stem 16 is disposed in the bore 14 and extends from the front end of the nozzle adjacent the output port 13 completely through the nozzle housing 11 and externally of the nozzle at the rear end. The air stem 16 has an axial bore 17 extending completely therethrough which is disposed in alignment with the axial bore 14 of the nozzle housing 11. At its front end, adjacent the output port 13, the air stem 16 has a nose 18 which is conically tapered and disposed to cooperate with the nozzle orifice, as will be later explained.

At the rear end, and extending over a substantial portion of its periphery, the air stem 16 has external threads 19 which permit its adjustment, axially, in the bore 14 and its connection to an air supply hose, as will also be later explained.

The input port 12 of nozzle 10 is disposed at an angle with respect to the axial bore 14 and communicates with the supply chamber 15. Internal threads 20 are provided in the throat of input port 12 to engage a fitting 21 on a supply hose 22 which supplies a slurry of wall texturing material to the nozzle.

The threads 19 on the periphery of air stern 16, in addition to permitting adjustment of the axial position of the air stem in the nozzle housing bore 14, provide means for connection of a fitting 23 on an air hose 24 which supplies compressed air to the nozzle 10.

From this description it will be understood that compressed air is supplied to the nozzle through the axial bore 17 in air stem 16 and travels from the outwardly extending end of the air stem 16 toward the conically tapered nose 18, and a slurry of wall texturing material is supplied to the nozzle through hose 22 and input port 12 from which it passes into supply chamber surrounding the nose end of air stem 16.

To produce a spray at the output port 13 of nozzle 10, an orifice plate 25 is provided which fits over the output port and has an orifice 26 at its center. The orifice plate 25 is generally dish-shaped with a conically tapered surface 27 disposed between the periphery and the orifice which is directed outwardly with respect to nose 18 of the air stem 16. At its periphery orifice plate 25 has an annular flange 28 which is formed integrally with the conically tapered surface 27 and provides a contact area for sealing engagement with the periphery of output port 13.

A cap 29 is provided to hold the orifice plate 25 in place over the output port 13. The cap 29 has internal threads 30 which engage external threads 31 on the outer surface of nozzle housing 11 adjacent the output port 13, and hold it in place, and a conically tapered flange 32 which overlaps surface 27 of orifice plate 25 and holds the orifice plate 25 in position over the output port. Cap 29 also has an opening 33 at its center which is slightly larger than the orifice 26 and permits the orifice to communicate through the cap upon assembly. To assure proper centering of the orifice plate 25 over the output port 13, and unobstructed passage through orifice 26, an outwardly projecting orifice flange 34 is provided on orifice plate 25 adjacent the periphery of orifice 26. The orifice flange 34 has an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the opening 33 in cap 29 and is snuggly received in and projects through this opening upon assembly of cap 29 and orifice plate 28.

As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the orifice plate 25, thus positioned over the output port 13, cooperates with the nose 18 of air stem 16 to form a spray nozzle where the slurry wall texturing material in supply chamber 15 is mixed with compressed air passing through the air stem bore 17 and carried out of the orifice 26 as a spray 36. It will further be understood by those skilled in the art, that adjustments in the spaced relationship between the nose 18 of air stem 16, and the orifice 26 and conical tapered surface 27 of orifice plate 25, will produce variations in the spray 35. In order to provide such adjustments a spray adjustment assembly 36 is incorporated into the nozzle 10 at the rear end of housing 11.

The spray adjustment assembly 36 includes a collar 37 which is mounted on the rear portion of air stem 16 by means of internal threads which engage the external threads 19 on the periphery of the air stem. The collar 37 is formed with an annular radially projecting flange 38 at its end adjacent the nozzle housing 11 and a hub 39 which extends outwardly with respect to housing 11 and flange 38. A knurled ring 40 is mounted on the hub 39 of collar 37 and locked in position thereon by a lock screw 41. Thus assembled, manual rotation of the ring 40 causes the collar 37 to move axially along the stem 16 by engagement with the air stem threads 19.

To secure the collar 37 with respect to the nozzle housing 11 so that its threading movement on air stem 16 4 will move the air stem in housing bore 14, a lock cap 42 is provided adjacent the rear of housing 11. Cap 42 is mounted on the housing 11 by means of internal threads 43 which engage external threads 44 provided on the rear periphery of the housing.

Lock cap 42 has a flange 45 at its outer end which projects radially inward and overlaps flange 38 on the collar 37 when the lock cap 42 is threaded on the rear I of housing 11, as aforesaid. The overlapping engagement between lock cap flange 45 and flange 38 on collar 37 holds the collar 37 in abutting relationship with the rear surface of housing 11, and so long as lock cap 42 is not threaded too tightly on housing 11, permits rotation of the collar 37 with respect to the locking cap.

To prevent lock cap 42 from being threaded so tightly on housing 11 as to prohibit rotation of the collar 37, and at the same time provide a positive lock for locking the air stem 16 in one fixed position, a lock screw 46 is mounted in nozzle housing 11 in a radially directed screw tap 47. The lock screw 46 also passes through a hole 48 formed in the periphery of the lock cap 42 and aligned with screw tap 47 when lock cap 42 is threaded to the desired position on the rear of housing 11. With lock screw 46 in place in screw tap 47, the lock cap 42 cannot be threadedly disengaged from the threaded rear portion 44 of the housing 11, and, on the other hand, cannot force lock cap flange 45 into such tight engagement with flange 38 on collar 37 as to restrict rotation of the collar. Moreover, if desired, the lock screw 46 can be threaded sufiiciently far into screw tap 47 to bring it into locking engagement with air stem 16. An elongated, axially directed, groove 49 is provided in the air stem 16 and disposed to receive the inner end of lock screw 46. When disposed in the groove 49, the lock screw 46 serves as a key which prevents rotation of air stem 16 but not axial movement, and when threaded into tight engagement with the bottom of groove 49, lock screw 46 also prevents the axial movement. It will, therefore, be understood that when lock screw 46 is backed away slightly from tight engagement with the bottom of groove 49 in the periphery of air stem 16 but is still disposed in the groove, rotation of the knurled ring 40, which in turn causes rotation of the collar 37 and threading movement between collar 37 and the air stem 16, will thereby cause movement of the air stem 16 axially in the nozzle housing bore 14. This movement will, of course, cause adjustment of the spaced relationship between the nose 18 of air stem 16 and the orifice 26, and conically tapered surface 27 of the orifice plate 25.

To prevent leakage from supply chamber 15 rearward along housing bore 14, two O-rings 50 are provided in annular grooves 51 in the periphery of air stem 16. 0- rings 50 are so positioned on the air stem 16 that they remain in the bore 14 throughout the limits of axial movement of the air stem in the bore.

OPERATION In operation my improved spray nozzle functions substantially as follows.

A slurry of wall texturing material is pumped to the nozzle 10 through hose 22 which is connected by coupling 21 to the input port 12. This slurry is fed into supply chamber 15, surrounds the air stem 16 and packs between the nose 18 in the orifice plate 25. The slurry does not pass rearwardly in the housing 11 along the housing bore 14 because of the seal provided by the O-rings 50 on the periphery of the air stem 16.

Compressed air is delivered to the nozzle 10 through air supply hose 24 which is connected to the rearward outwardly extending portion of the air stem 16. The air passes through the air stem 16 toward the nose 18, engages the slurry and drives it out of the orifice 26 as a spray 35. The spray 35 from the nozzle 10 engages a wall surface 52, leaving the wall texture 53.

When variation in the spray pattern is desired the.

space relationship between the nose 18 of air stem 16 and the orifice plate 25 is achieved by rotating the knurled ring of the spray adjustment assembly 36. This in turn rotates the collar 37 and moves the air stem 16 axially in the nozzle housing bore 14, either closer to or further away from the orifice plate 25. When a desired spray pattern is achieved the spray adjustment assembly may be locked in that position if desired, by threading screw 46 into firm engagement with the bottom of groove 49. Locking in this manner is not necessary under usual circumstances, however, since friction between the parts of the spray adjustment assembly normally hold the air stem 16 at any position to which it has been adjusted.

When greater variations in the spray pattern are desired than are possible by variation of the spaced relationship between the orifice plate 25 and the air stem nose 18, they may be provided by substituting an orifice plate 25 with a different orifice 26 size or configuration, or with a different conically tapered surface 27, than the original orifice plate. To accomplish this, the spraying operation is shut down, and cap 29 is removed from the output port 13 of nozzle housing 11 by disengaging the threads 30 and 31. Orifice plate 25 is then removed and replaced with an orifice plate with a different orifice 26 or conically tapered surface 27, or both. The new orifice plate 25 is then reassembled with the nozzle housing 11 by replacing the cap 29 and tightening threads 30 and 31.

In this description of a preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that my improved nozzle is capable of both minor adjustments in the spray pattern during the spraying operation, and of major adjustments in the spray pattern when the spraying operation is shut down. These variations in the spray pattern are sufficiently great to accommodate nearly all presently desired textures.

It will be understood from this detailed description of a preferred embodiment that my invention is capable of meeting the objects and providing the advantages heretofore attributed to it. It should also be understood, however, that I do not mean to limit myself to the particular details herein described except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spray nozzle comprising:

a housing having a front end and a rear end;

an output port operatively associated in said housing and disposed adjacent the front end thereof; an input port operatively associated with said housing and disposed in fluid communication with said output P an air stem operatively associated with said housing and movable with respect thereto, said air stem having a nose end disposed adjacent said output port and a rear end disposed externally of the rear end of said housing, and having an air passage therethrough disposed to pass compressed air from externally of said housing through said nose end and output port;

air stern adjustment means operatively associated with said housing and air stem, said air stem adjustment means being manually operable to adjust the position of said air stem with respect to said housing, and including external threads on the periphery of the rear portion of said air stern, manually rotatable collar means threadedly interconnected with said threaded portion of said air stem, a flanged cap threadedly attached to the rear end of said housing and disposed to engage and secure said collar means against linear movement and to permit rotational movement of said collar means with respect to said housing, means defining an axially directed groove in the periphery of the rear portion of said air stem and a screw means operatively associated with said housing, said flanged cap, and said groove defining means and disposed to engage and secure said flanged cap and said groove defining means to secure said flanged 6 cap and said air stern against rotational movement and permit linear movement of said air stem with respect to said housing; and

orifice means operatively associated with said housing and said output port.

2. A spray nozzle comprising:

a housing having a front end and a rear end;

means defining an axial bore in said housing;

an output port formed integrally with said housing and disposed at a front end thereof in axial alignment with said housing axial bore;

means of defining a material supply chamber in said housing adjacent said output port;

an input port formed integrally with said housing and disposed in fluid communication with said supply chamber;

an elongated air stem disposed in said axial bore with a nose end disposed adjacent said output port and a rear end disposed externally of the rear end of said housing;

an air stern axial bore in said air stem disposed in axial alignment with said housing axial bore;

air stem threads formed on the periphery of a portion of said air stem adjacent the rear end thereof;

a flanged collar disposed on the rear end portion of said air stern externally of and adjacent to the rear end of said housing, said collar having internal threads disposed in threaded engagement with the external thread on said air stem, a radially project ing outwardly directed flange disposed on the periphery of said collar at the end thereof proximate the rear end of said housing, and a hub disposed distal the rear end of said housing;

rear housing threads on the periphery of said housing adjacent the rear end thereof;

a flanged cap disposed on the rear end of said housing adjacent the said flanged collar, said cap having internal threads disposed in threaded engagement with said rear housing threads, and a radially projecting inwardly directed flange disposed on the end of said cap distal the rear end of said housing and rearwardly of and in overlapping relationship with said collar flange;

means defining an axially directed groove in the periphery of the rear portion of said air stem;

means defining a radially directed screw tap in the rear end of said housing disposed in radial alignment with said groove;

means defining a radially directed cap hole through a wall of said flanged cap disposed in radial alignment with said groove and screw tap and positioned to place said cap flange rearward of the rear end of said housing a distance sufiicient to accommodate said collar flange for free rotational movement therebetween;

and screw means disposed to extend through said cap hole and screw tap and into said groove, said screw means being threadedly adjustable in said screw tap to form a position of locking engagement with the bottom of said groove, to a position extending into said groove but disengaged from the bottom thereof, and being completely removable for disassembly.

3. A nozzle of the type described in claim 2 which includes:

orifice means operatively associated with said housing and said output port.

4. A spray nozzle of the type described in claim 2 which includes:

orifice means operatively associated with said housing and said output port, said orifice means including an orifice plate having an orifice therethrough and a comically tapered surface extending between the periphery thereof and said orifice which surface extends outwardly from said periphery to said orifice 8 with respect to said housing and threaded cap means 2,504,805 4/1950 Clipson 239-416 disposed to thread on the front end of said housing 2,555,238 5/1951 McNulty et a1 239-4345 and engage and secure said orifice plate over said 2,600,040 6/1952 Widmager 239-4345 output port.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,207,758 7/1940 Rehse 239-424 2,259,215 10/1941 Scheurer 239-1345 239 424,4s4,5,ss2

5 LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner 

